Macrows is a desktop Airtable clone for the Mac. It’s nice!

James O’Malley takes a look at the National Data Library: That’s why everyone from the Minister downwards is talking about what the platform ‘could’ do in the future – and, I assume, why the NDL programme was given £100m last…

The newly launched National Data Library features a really useful ‘Data manual’ – think service manual, but data – which I think lots of local councils will find helpful in developing their own data practice.

Shelley Heckman shares an update on the Open Referral standard, and particularly the validator tool, on LinkedIn: The Validator plays an important role across the wider ecosystem. It enables feed owners to check their own data, gives suppliers a way…

Good news – New pilot to help councils identify and support residents at risk to vulnerability earlier: Local Digital is pleased to share that the Scalable Approach to Vulnerability via Interoperability (SAVVI) and Open Referral UK (ORUK) data standards are…

📅 Daily Note: November 10, 2025

Dafydd Singleton – User needs for data standards. # – micropost 23142 Dafydd Vaughan – The bridge to nowhere: Why your ‘Target Architecture’ won’t ever deliver: I’ve lost count of the number of Technical Design Authority meetings I’ve sat in,…

📅 Daily Note: October 6, 2025

A roadmap for successful AI adoption in Higher Education, from dxw: Higher education institutions are actively experimenting with AI to improve operational efficiency, yet approaches vary significantly across the sector. Institutions face complex issues including output accuracy, data privacy, and…

📅 Daily Note: September 30, 2025

Ouch: Europe’s largest city council delays fix to disastrous Oracle system once more: Elected representatives of Birmingham City Council’s audit committee vented their frustration this week after hearing that the rollout of the IMS – designed to replace the council’s…

On ‘the single view of the customer’

“We need a single view of the customer!” Well, no you don’t, and you can’t have one anyway. ‘Single view of the customer’ is one of those easy to trot out phrases that sounds brilliantly simple and impossible to argue…

📅 Daily note for 22 November 2024

Whoops, forgot to hit publish on Friday. # Another kerr-azy week of having too much to do and too little time and energy to do it. # A short post I put up on LinkedIn (and published here and on…

📅 Daily note for 1 August 2024

This note has been kicking around in my drafts for what feels like ages. Life’s been busy! # “Agile or not, it’s all about your worldview⬈” What do you believe about how the world works? Do you believe it works…

📅 Daily note for 23 July 2024

“The new Government must draw on the power of institutional memory⬈” Time and again, National Audit Office reports contain universally similar themes. Over-optimistic delivery plans mean budgets get burnt, deadlines are missed, governance is ineffective. # “Building visual literacy: Making…

📅 Daily note for 1 July 2024

Pinch, punch, first of the month.# Am trying a thing to easily(ish) create anchor links at the end of paragraphs in these daily notes. That way I can point people directly to a specific nugget within a post. There is…

Daily note for 22 November 2023

Raindrop is very good for social bookmarking it turns out. Mine are here. As well as Neilly Neil’s welcome return to blogging, Lloyd is also publishing stuff on a more regular basis. This can only be a good thing. Tuesday’s…

Daily note for 3 November 2023

I published a newsletter on Wednesday, talked a bit about blogging. Hadn’t done one for a whole and picked a fairly safe topic just to get back into the swing of things. Today’s innovation igloo was a right laugh, as…

Daily notes for 19 September 2023

Redesigning the DDaT Capability Framework. Can data help me solve this problem? Dorset Council claims progress with roll out of digital social care records. “Elon Musk: Social media platform X could go behind paywall” Shoulda woulda coulda. People need to…

Daily note for 12 September 2023

“It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy” – somewhat concerning. Love this, eccentric bringing back to life of ancient, almost useless technology. Beautiful. Lovely reflections from Tim Davies, someone I don’t speak to…

Interesting links 18 March 2022

Things I’ve seen that are worth sharing. The Policymaking / DDAT Divide – Jerry Fishenden Despite politicians’ grand ambitions for DDaT since at least 1996, it’s had relatively little impact on radical government renewal and reform. Yet the political ambition…